Mars Venus Q&A: Brother's Keeper

Dear John,My brother, who is 28, is dating a woman that some in our family do not like, particularly our mother. He plans on marrying her. Our mother is having the hardest time with this. He regards our mama's opinion, and she is not going to budge. I feel strongly that it is our duty, as a family, to support his happiness and to be open minded. We all love him so much and we only want what is best for him. It hurts to see him so torn up about this, but I wonder: should he stick with this girl regardless of Mom thinks?--Not My Brother's Keeper in Los Angeles

Dear Brother’s Keeper,Your brother’s love for her ultimately has nothing to do with what his family thinks. He is not a child, he is an adult. If the family loves him, they can best show that love by supporting him and allowing him to follow his heart. Your brother may have made the mistake of sharing with family members or his mother some of his initial concerns about his new partner in order to get empathy from them. In the future, this should be avoided. Instead, in discussing his partner with his family, it would be wise for him to focus on his partner’s good qualities, and on how happy she makes him. A mother is always happy for her child if someone is making that child happy.— John Gray